U.S. born Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki killed

Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
edited October 2011 in A Moving Train
http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/30/world/afr ... ?hpt=hp_t1

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- American-born Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who preached terror as the public face of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has been killed in Yemen, the nation's Defense Ministry said Friday.

The United States regards al-Awlaki, who was believed to be hiding in Yemen, as a terrorist and the biggest threat to its homeland security. Western intelligence officials believe al-Awlaki is a senior leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of the most active al Qaeda affiliates.

Al-Awlaki was killed about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the Yemeni town of Khashef, east of the capital city of Sanaa, Mohammed Basha, a Yemen Embassy spokesman in Washington, told CNN. Basha said the operation was launched at about 9:55 a.m. local time, though he did not say what type of operation was conducted or how al-Awlaki was killed.

A senior U.S. administration official confirmed al-Awlaki is dead, though no details surrounding the operation that led to the cleric's death were released. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to CNN. The official was not authorized to release the information.

Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, al-Awlaki lived in the United State until the age of seven when his family returned to Yemen. Al-Awlaki returned to the United States in 1991 for college and remained until 2002.

It was during that time that as an imam in California and Virginia, al-Awlaki preached to and interacted with three of the September 11 hijackers, according to the 9/11 Commission Report. He publicly condemned the attack afterward.

Al-Awlaki spent 18 months in a Yemeni prison from 2006 to 2007 on kidnapping charges, but was released without going to trial. Al-Awlaki claims that he was imprisoned and held at the request of the United States.
U.S. officials say al-Awlaki helped recruit Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a transatlantic flight as it landed in Detroit on December 25, 2009.

The militant cleric is also said to have exchanged e-mails with accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hassan, who is accused of killing a dozen fellow soldiers and a civilian in a rampage at the Texas base.

Early this year, a Yemeni court sentenced al-Awlaki in absentia to 10 years in prison for charges of inciting to kill foreigners.

Prosecutors charged al-Awlaki and two others with "forming an armed gang" to target foreign officers and law enforcement in November.

At a U.S. congressional hearing earlier this year, Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said, "I actually consider al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula, with al-Awlaki as a leader within that organization, as probably the most significant threat to the U.S."

Al-Awlaki narrowly survived an American drone assault in May after he switched vehicles with fellow jihadi, a senior security official told CNN.

Attorneys for al-Awlaki's father, Dr. Nasser al-Awlaki, tried to persuade U.S. District Court Judge John Bates in Washington to issue an injunction last year preventing the government from the targeted killing of al-Awlaki in Yemen.

But Bates dismissed the case in December, ruling that Nasser al-Awlaki did not have standing to sue.
In a November hearing, lawyers for the U.S. government refused to confirm that the cleric was on a secret "kill list" or that such a list even exists.

Last year, YouTube removed a number of video clips featuring al-Awlaki that it found to be inciting violence.
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Comments

  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    i wonder how many millions of dollars we spent to get this one guy?

    i guarantee a hundred thousand more americans could have health insurance for that price.

    our priorities are so fucked up...
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • i wonder how many millions of dollars we spent to get this one guy?

    i guarantee a hundred thousand more americans could have health insurance for that price.

    our priorities are so fucked up...

    Change you can believe in, right? :lol:
  • i wonder how many millions of dollars we spent to get this one guy?

    i guarantee a hundred thousand more americans could have health insurance for that price.

    our priorities are so fucked up...

    So, you disagree with this?

    What if he lead an attack against the US killing American citizens...would you then be blaming the administration, DoD, CIA, FBI for not doing their jobs?

    Really, I just want to know.

    Because as I've grappled with these types of issues over the last decade and my own beliefs on them, I think this is part of an effective strategy and much better than nation building. But I do have some concerns with it as well.
    hippiemom = goodness
  • CH156378CH156378 Posts: 1,539
    :wave:
  • SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 Posts: 26,420
    i wonder how many millions of dollars we spent to get this one guy?

    i guarantee a hundred thousand more americans could have health insurance for that price.

    our priorities are so fucked up...

    Yea, stopping major terrorists who have tried to kill Americans within the last few years? What a crazy idea :roll:.
    severed hand thirteen
    2006: Gorge 7/23 2008: Hartford 6/27 Beacon 7/1 2009: Spectrum 10/30-31
    2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
    2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
    2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
    2017: RRHoF 4/7   2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4   2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18 
    2022: MSG 9/11  2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
    2025: Pittsburgh 5/16+5/18
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    i wonder how many millions of dollars we spent to get this one guy?

    i guarantee a hundred thousand more americans could have health insurance for that price.

    our priorities are so fucked up...

    So, you disagree with this?

    What if he lead an attack against the US killing American citizens...would you then be blaming the administration, DoD, CIA, FBI for not doing their jobs?

    Really, I just want to know.

    Because as I've grappled with these types of issues over the last decade and my own beliefs on them, I think this is part of an effective strategy and much better than nation building. But I do have some concerns with it as well.
    there will be another one to take his place. we are their enemies because of our foreign policy. we keep doing the same shit that angers them, and then they attack us....it is a perpetual state of war, and it never changes. it will never change until we get off of their land, off of their oil, stop raining death down on their civilians, and stop our blanket support for israel. until we do those things, the wheels on the bus go round and round...
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    SVRDhand13 wrote:
    i wonder how many millions of dollars we spent to get this one guy?

    i guarantee a hundred thousand more americans could have health insurance for that price.

    our priorities are so fucked up...

    Yea, stopping major terrorists who have tried to kill Americans within the last few years? What a crazy idea :roll:.
    can't cut that pentagon budget now can we?
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 Posts: 26,420
    can't cut that pentagon budget now can we?

    I understand the occupations in Iraq and Pakistan are largely a waste of time and money, but killing this guy was a must. While the underwear attack luckily failed miserably, he has shown the most potential for striking us. He had to go.
    severed hand thirteen
    2006: Gorge 7/23 2008: Hartford 6/27 Beacon 7/1 2009: Spectrum 10/30-31
    2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
    2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
    2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
    2017: RRHoF 4/7   2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4   2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18 
    2022: MSG 9/11  2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
    2025: Pittsburgh 5/16+5/18
  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    his death did nothing but martyr him and inspire more people to wage aggression on the US ... violence begets violence ...

    all the leading security experts will tell you this ... assassinations and torture do not increase security but rather the opposite ...

    so, relish in your insatiable thirst for blood and continue to ignore why groups like al qaeda exist
  • SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 Posts: 26,420
    polaris_x wrote:
    his death did nothing but martyr him and inspire more people to wage aggression on the US ... violence begets violence ...

    all the leading security experts will tell you this ... assassinations and torture do not increase security but rather the opposite ...

    so, relish in your insatiable thirst for blood and continue to ignore why groups like al qaeda exist

    Oh please. Killing him stops a top leader from managing more attacks. I hate war and agree we must do only what is necessary, but going after these top terrorists is an absolute must to me. Are we supposed to stand around and let them become strong?
    severed hand thirteen
    2006: Gorge 7/23 2008: Hartford 6/27 Beacon 7/1 2009: Spectrum 10/30-31
    2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
    2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
    2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
    2017: RRHoF 4/7   2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4   2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18 
    2022: MSG 9/11  2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
    2025: Pittsburgh 5/16+5/18
  • Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
    SVRDhand13 wrote:
    can't cut that pentagon budget now can we?

    I understand the occupations in Iraq and Pakistan are largely a waste of time and money, but killing this guy was a must. While the underwear attack luckily failed miserably, he has shown the most potential for striking us. He had to go.
    He was connected to the Ft. Hood shooting like the article said. I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think they said he was also connected to the attempted car bomb in Times Square last year.
    Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
    "Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
  • SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 Posts: 26,420
    Newch91 wrote:
    SVRDhand13 wrote:
    can't cut that pentagon budget now can we?

    I understand the occupations in Iraq and Pakistan are largely a waste of time and money, but killing this guy was a must. While the underwear attack luckily failed miserably, he has shown the most potential for striking us. He had to go.
    He was connected to the Ft. Hood shooting like the article said. I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think they said he was also connected to the attempted car bomb in Times Square last year.

    I never heard he was involved in the Times Square attempt, but I know he was involved in planning the guy who tried to explode a bomb in a plane at the end of 2009.
    severed hand thirteen
    2006: Gorge 7/23 2008: Hartford 6/27 Beacon 7/1 2009: Spectrum 10/30-31
    2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
    2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
    2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
    2017: RRHoF 4/7   2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4   2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18 
    2022: MSG 9/11  2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
    2025: Pittsburgh 5/16+5/18
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    SVRDhand13 wrote:
    polaris_x wrote:
    his death did nothing but martyr him and inspire more people to wage aggression on the US ... violence begets violence ...

    all the leading security experts will tell you this ... assassinations and torture do not increase security but rather the opposite ...

    so, relish in your insatiable thirst for blood and continue to ignore why groups like al qaeda exist

    Oh please. Killing him stops a top leader from managing more attacks. I hate war and agree we must do only what is necessary, but going after these top terrorists is an absolute must to me. Are we supposed to stand around and let them become strong?
    at what point do we say "GOT 'EM ALL!! EVERYONE LOVES US AGAIN!!!" ??

    we don't. we don't change our policies, hey get martyred and they reload to fight again another day..

    we are perpetuating the cycle.

    sorry if i don't rejoice at my country letting blood simply because we can..
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
    SVRDhand13 wrote:
    Newch91 wrote:
    SVRDhand13 wrote:
    I understand the occupations in Iraq and Pakistan are largely a waste of time and money, but killing this guy was a must. While the underwear attack luckily failed miserably, he has shown the most potential for striking us. He had to go.
    He was connected to the Ft. Hood shooting like the article said. I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think they said he was also connected to the attempted car bomb in Times Square last year.

    I never heard he was involved in the Times Square attempt, but I know he was involved in planning the guy who tried to explode a bomb in a plane at the end of 2009.
    I thought I heard he was but I'm probably thinking of someone else. I know he was definitely involved with the underwear guy.
    Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
    "Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
  • SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 Posts: 26,420
    at what point do we say "GOT 'EM ALL!! EVERYONE LOVES US AGAIN!!!" ??

    we don't. we don't change our policies, hey get martyred and they reload to fight again another day..

    we are perpetuating the cycle.

    sorry if i don't rejoice at my country letting blood simply because we can..

    They will not stop attacking us if we stop going after their top leaders. If we let our guard down and back off we would have all of major cities getting attacked.

    I am not rejoicing- I am happy that a person who is trying to kill Americans will no longer have the chance to do so. We can't change the way the world works overnight. We need to keep going after the terrorists while helping these countries that they grow up in. We need to change the culture- not let all these terrorists groups assemble and become stronger.
    severed hand thirteen
    2006: Gorge 7/23 2008: Hartford 6/27 Beacon 7/1 2009: Spectrum 10/30-31
    2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
    2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
    2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
    2017: RRHoF 4/7   2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4   2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18 
    2022: MSG 9/11  2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
    2025: Pittsburgh 5/16+5/18
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,897
    Maybe we should have asked him nicely to stop recruiting terrorists and stop plotting to kill as many Americans as possible. I bet if we said please he would cooperate.

    Good riddance motherfucker. The world is a better place with your terrorist ass crushed by an 800 pound exploding missle.

    Pretty interesting that Obama is doing a pretty good damn job at what Bush couldn't get done.
  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    SVRDhand13 wrote:
    Oh please. Killing him stops a top leader from managing more attacks. I hate war and agree we must do only what is necessary, but going after these top terrorists is an absolute must to me. Are we supposed to stand around and let them become strong?

    every time you kill someone or torture someone - you are making them stronger ... these guys are replaceable ... there is no mastermind ... someone else just takes his place ...

    again - until americans realize why there are groups like al qaeda ... there is no winning this war ...
  • Who PrincessWho Princess out here in the fields Posts: 7,305
    Because as I've grappled with these types of issues over the last decade and my own beliefs on them, I think this is part of an effective strategy and much better than nation building. But I do have some concerns with it as well.
    I'm not sorry the guy's dead but I'm not sure how I feel about it. In a lot of ways a pretty good case could be made for getting rid of him. He certainly inspired a lot of people, like the Ft. Hood shooter, the underwear bomber, and the Times Square bomber.

    But is calling for attacks the same thing as carrying them out? Did he ever actually commit any violence or plan any of the attacks he's associated with? As I understand it, he wasn't under any U.S. indictments. So now we use drone strikes to kill one of our citizens?

    As I said, I'm not gonna mourn him. I just don't know if this will prove to be a major blow to Al Qaeda or an improvement in security.
    "The stars are all connected to the brain."
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,897
    polaris_x wrote:
    SVRDhand13 wrote:
    Oh please. Killing him stops a top leader from managing more attacks. I hate war and agree we must do only what is necessary, but going after these top terrorists is an absolute must to me. Are we supposed to stand around and let them become strong?

    every time you kill someone or torture someone - you are making them stronger ... these guys are replaceable ... there is no mastermind ... someone else just takes his place ...

    again - until americans realize why there are groups like al qaeda ... there is no winning this war ...

    Torture certainly made them stronger. Killing an english speaking savvy recruiter who inspired many to kill Americans will not make them stronger. That's bullshit.
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,897
    Because as I've grappled with these types of issues over the last decade and my own beliefs on them, I think this is part of an effective strategy and much better than nation building. But I do have some concerns with it as well.
    I'm not sorry the guy's dead but I'm not sure how I feel about it. In a lot of ways a pretty good case could be made for getting rid of him. He certainly inspired a lot of people, like the Ft. Hood shooter, the underwear bomber, and the Times Square bomber.

    But is calling for attacks the same thing as carrying them out? Did he ever actually commit any violence or plan any of the attacks he's associated with? As I understand it, he wasn't under any U.S. indictments. So now we use drone strikes to kill one of our citizens?

    As I said, I'm not gonna mourn him. I just don't know if this will prove to be a major blow to Al Qaeda or an improvement in security.

    The guy inspired a United States troop to kill 13 of his comrades. I don't give a shit if he pulled the trigger or not, that kind of influence is as dangerous as it gets.
  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    Cliffy6745 wrote:
    Torture certainly made them stronger. Killing an english speaking savvy recruiter who inspired many to kill Americans will not make them stronger. That's bullshit.

    ok ... just keep bombing and killing people ... see where it will get you guys ... i find it interesting that no one wants to comment on why al qaeda exists in the first place ...

    where are all the ron paul guys!?? ...
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,897
    polaris_x wrote:
    Cliffy6745 wrote:
    Torture certainly made them stronger. Killing an english speaking savvy recruiter who inspired many to kill Americans will not make them stronger. That's bullshit.

    ok ... just keep bombing and killing people ... see where it will get you guys ... i find it interesting that no one wants to comment on why al qaeda exists in the first place ...

    where are all the ron paul guys!?? ...

    I hear what you are saying and I agree that there are some fundamental principles with our foreign policy that lead the these groups being developed. Some things need to change and quite frankly some don't but until then, the world is a better place without this sick fuck.
  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    Cliffy6745 wrote:
    I hear what you are saying and I agree that there are some fundamental principles with our foreign policy that lead the these groups being developed. Some things need to change and quite frankly some don't but until then, the world is a better place without this sick fuck.

    :(
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,897
    polaris_x wrote:
    Cliffy6745 wrote:
    I hear what you are saying and I agree that there are some fundamental principles with our foreign policy that lead the these groups being developed. Some things need to change and quite frankly some don't but until then, the world is a better place without this sick fuck.

    :(

    I have no idea what your sad face means.
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    Does this mean we can keep our shoes on at the airport now?
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • Who PrincessWho Princess out here in the fields Posts: 7,305
    Cosmo wrote:
    Does this mean we can keep our shoes on at the airport now?
    Nope, and don't try carrying more than 3 oz of shampoo. They'll keep on screening people for the kinds of plots that have already been prevented.

    However, I believe you can continue to wear underwear. :mrgreen:
    "The stars are all connected to the brain."
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    However, I believe you can continue to wear underwear. :mrgreen:
    ...
    What is this... 'underwear'... you speak of?
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • IdrisIdris Posts: 2,317
    CIA Assassinates Two American Citizens in Yemen
    Obama Lauds Killings as Proof of America's Reach

    http://news.antiwar.com/2011/09/30/cia- ... -in-yemen/

    National Intelligence Director confirmed in April 2010 was the first American citizen ever added to President Obama’s official list of assassination targets for the CIA.

    The confirmation sparked immediate concern because despite repeatedly railing at Awlaki for his anti-US sermons and implying he had some sort of tie with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was not charged with any crimes at all, let alone a capital offense.

    It also spawned an attempted lawsuit by Awlaki’s father and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who argued that it was inappropriate for the president to order the execution of American citizens without formal charges and a trial.
    ---
  • mikepegg44mikepegg44 Posts: 3,353
    polaris_x wrote:
    Cliffy6745 wrote:
    Torture certainly made them stronger. Killing an english speaking savvy recruiter who inspired many to kill Americans will not make them stronger. That's bullshit.

    ok ... just keep bombing and killing people ... see where it will get you guys ... i find it interesting that no one wants to comment on why al qaeda exists in the first place ...

    where are all the ron paul guys!?? ...


    people comment on that all the time. literally all the time. haven't seen a week go by where comments regarding the origin and the perpetuation of the group aren't made(double negative I know). It rings true every time. They will not stop until we are out of the middle east and our only contact is trade/economic and it doesn't involve us trying to throw our weight around like we own the place. Whether we like it or not, the "war" will never end until that happens...could go on for thousands of years...The strange part is that we all talk about how the region has been fighting for thousands of years, and it is always a who started it argument...now we are at the start of what could be hundreds of years from now, a who started it argument involving the US...I just hope we realize as a government before it is too late and just get the hell out of the way. If they want to destroy themselves let them, there is no reason to continue to provoke generational hatred against Americans.
    bring 'em home. that is all that needs to be said. Ridding the world of an evil angry person is all fine and good, call me when you get them all and I will have a cupcake waiting. might even make it myself.

    and speaking of Ron Paul. For all the liberals who choke every time they consider voting or supporting a republican...this shit will end if you support Paul. We may get attacked again, but it won't be because our government is on foreign soil dictating how others live their lives...at least at that point we will have an answer for who started it. Support someone who will stop the wars if you want them to end, support someone who will stand up against perpetual warfare... Or support Obama or anyone else and see four more years of creating new enemies while trying to kill old ones all the while complaining about it...Your choice.
    that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
    It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
    - Joe Rogan
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